Tag: alan dapre

I know I really should have been blogging this year but most of my time has been spent writing an exciting new 6 book series for Floris Books, a large publisher based in Scotland. The Series: Each story stars a member of the McFun family. Gadget Grandad, Groovy Gran, Mini Mum, Dino Dad, Roaring Ross and […]

I was delighted to be invited to attend the launch of the new Young Kelpies range. It features four series from exciting authors. ‘Axe throwing’, ‘goal scoring’, ‘mysterious’ and ‘adventurous’ are the key words for each series. Mine is the adventurous one…with lots of gags, wordplay and exciting action. Each brilliant series has six books and is written for […]

It’s good to be back! I have taken time off from writing this blog to concentrate on writing children’s books. It takes a while to create meaningful, exciting and engaging characters who jump off the page, climb up your nose and playfully mess about with your brain. I shall be posting soon about some exciting new […]

My Grammar School inconveniently forgot to teach me grammar. Fact. We had a few lessons about verbs and adverbs, prepositions and commas – and that was about it. When I became a Primary teacher I swotted up on the basics, while older colleagues banged on about the dubious merits of Box Analysis. As a […]

It’s good to write badly. Baldly, in my case. Back in the noisy days of typewriters I was indebted to a strip of white tape that I placed on the paper to strike out mistakes. This was replaced in time by liquid paper. Nowadays the computer Delete key is my friend. Though I enjoy drafting […]

I’ve decided to offer two of my picture ebooks at a great discount. Why? I want to get my ebooks read as much as possible so it makes sense to lower the cost – to less than a third of the original purchase price. Wiggle Jiggle (UK link) (US Link) (Canada Link) Cuddle Muddle (UK link) (US link) (Canada […]

12 – Being famous – worked for Whoopi Goldberg, Julie Andrews, Madonna, etc. 11 – Playing for Chelsea – worked for Frank Lampard. 10 – Posting your manuscript through J.K. Rowling’s front door. She probably has a bin under the letter box flap. Or a paper-loving dog. Or an island retreat somewhere else less rainy than Scotland. […]

I’ve had over 50 books traditionally published in a range of genres. A few are plays for teenagers and younger children. Some are linked to characters on TV (such as Brum) and are joke, puzzle, activity and story books. Others are picture books or adventure fiction for school age kids. If you look at my website you’ll see […]

Peppa Pig’s school roof needs repairing. Again. And poor Daddy Pig ends up having to buy his chair back at a fundraising fete. That was the gist of our daughter’s latest bedtime story. I’ve read “Peppa Pig’s Daddy Is Made To Look A Right Nugget Again” or whatever the book’s called a million times, trying […]

Pesky apostrophes. Writer’s block affects one person but we all know WB affects all writers at some point so maybe Writers’ block is more accurate. So how to cope with it? Easy. Never pick up a pen again and become a hermit atop a wind turbine. Hmm, that might make you dizzy and fall off. I have no […]

It’s the time of year for sharing – and I’d like to share Wiggle Jiggle Free. Eggy Leggy is on promotion too. ‘Wiggle Jiggle’ – my picture story ebook is FREE to download on Amazon on 19th, 20th, 21st December 2013. (Kindle Edition) Click HERE to go to Amazon UK Click HERE to go to Amazon US ‘Eggy Leggy’ – my picture story […]

A wee Christmas gift for all you Kindle owners, or anyone with Kindle software on a Mac or PC. It’s the time of year for sharing – and I’d like to share Wiggle Jiggle Free. Eggy Leggy is on promotion too. ‘Wiggle Jiggle’ – my picture story ebook is FREE to download on Amazon on […]

Further to my blog about Lumos – the charity chaired by J.K. Rowling – I thought I’d share more about what it is trying to do. ‘Across the globe 8 million children are living in institutions that deny them individual love and care. More than 90% are not orphans. They are separated from their families […]

Lumos is about hope, fairness and giving children a chance in life. Click here to find out more. What Lumos does. J.K. Rowling is the founder and chair of Lumos – her Harry Potter stories gave children hope. That lost children can be found again. I have an admission to make – back in […]

Thanks George Osborne. I don’t see myself as a particularly political animal. I tend to vote for policies not parties. I’m fairly liberal-minded – well, I was until Nick Clegg made it a dirty word. All parties have their (few) successes and their complete and utter ‘what were they thinking’ disasters. The Bedroom Tax is […]